It’s been a crazy day. Especially if you’re a big time baseball fan. Finally, the Roger Clemens versus Brian McNamee circus took their act to the nation’s capital to plead their cases in front of Congress.

Just from what I gathered listening to testimony given by both the Rocket and his former trainer as they were peppered with questions by Senators who should have been more preoccupied with much more important issues instead of wasting their time, it became clear that both Clemens and McNamee were caught in blatant lies. Even my brother Justin could be heard laughing at how pathetic these two clowns came off.

It’s hard to comprehend how poorly each of the former best buddies a decade prior looked during a lengthy process which made it feel like kindergarten. It was just flat out embarrassing.

Listening to politicians work over the pathetic duo didn’t help much. Here were Democrats going very hard at Clemens attacking his lack of consistency in his deposition and what he told Mike Wallace in a 60 Minutes interview about meeting former Senator George Mitchell to help clear his name from the notable Mitchell Report. What was the real truth here? Roger didn’t know that his name came up or the terrible legal advice he got.

Meanwhile, Republicans went after McNamee basically making the former trainer admit under oath lie after lie. How the heck was that supposed to help their case against Clemens? They didn’t give any preferential treatment to the former seven-time Cy Young winner nor McNamee.

Editor’s Note: It felt like a real court room. Something I’m actually familiar with as I once had the high duty of announcing a verdict on some very serious charges two and a half years ago. In case you’re wondering, we found the defendant not guilty of everything and that’s as far as it goes.

I also didn’t understand why Clemens felt compelled to explain his upbringing. Come on Roger! Nobody cares what you did as a kid and how you were raised. Even if he was trying to win over the court room, it wasn’t time for an autobiography.

One thing which troubles me is the evidence Mr. McNamee submitted. Let’s be frank. Who the heck keeps old needles, etc dating back 9-10 years?!?!?!?!?! That is a joke. That evidence just won’t hold up in court as I know all too well from experience.

You can freaking cut yourself and then take the blood from a cotton ball and submit it as physical evidence. Do you know how moronic that sounds?

Unless there’s legitimate proof, it’s all speculation. When McNamee basically admitted as such about whether he injected Clemens with Human Growth Hormone (HGH) or B12, it weakened their case. Unless it’s proven fact and not general opinion, there’s reasonable doubt.

What’s particularly damaging to Clemens is that former buddy and Yankee teammate Andy Pettite testified during a deposition that they used performance enhancers. Former Yankee second baseman Chuck Knoblauch also supported that claim.

When Roger said that Pettite “misheard or misremembers,” it didn’t strengthen his case.

One other disturbing thing from this mockery. How can McNamee answer that he didn’t have a deal on the side for testifying under oath about what he knew regarding steroids? That’s the biggest load of crap IMHO. Sure you didn’t.

What’s easy to conclude from this drawn out process is that both Clemens and McNamee are liars and should face the consequences.

I really don’t know what more to think. It’s just a very sad situation. I realize the Player’s Association (MLBPA) has taken some well deserved criticism for how uncooperative they were when it came to instituting a stiffer anti-drug policy during the Juiced Era Error but that doesn’t explain how Major League Baseball (MLB) basically turned a blind eye to what was going on. The same media who are so critical now never uttered a word either. Record attendances were set and home run records were smashed.

You can’t just pin this on the players. It’s kind of like how you couldn’t just blame the union for the record NHL lockout a few years back with the cancellation of the 2004-05 season. We all know how that’s turned out with owners handing out insane long-term record deals and raising ticket prices.

It’s all about the mighty buck. The sooner you realize that, the better off you’ll fully grasp everything which is wrong with sports.

I love following sports. Especially baseball. But I got to be honest about something. I get more enjoyment out of covering first and second year pros out here in Staten Island during the summer. There’s plenty of reason$. Plus the players who are just drafted are very receptive when it comes to interviews, features, etc. It’s the same reason I love these high school games I score. Because you can see the enthusiasm and joy on all the players and coaches’ faces. Somewhere, that gets lost.

To myself, baseball has been ruined. I highly doubt it will ever be the same no matter what rules they have in place. That has nothing to do with steroids and everything to do with the cost. I remember a time when it was fun to go to a Yankee game and be able to spend a reasonable amount of money while enjoying the game with real fans.

Unfortunately, we’re not who they’re targeting these days when it comes to filling up stadiums or arenas.

That’s the harsh reality. So, go ahead and get excited if you want over the new Citi Field and new Yankee Stadium. Just don’t expect to be able to get out to too many games.

Just call them Giant killers. Against all odds, the 2007 New York Giants will go down as Super Bowl champions.

Following up an impressive three straight road wins over NFC higher seeds Tampa Bay, Dallas and Green Bay, Tom Coughlin’s determined Giants took it one GIANT-step further by upsetting the previously unbeaten New England Patriots 17-14 to win Super Bowl XLII in Tempe, Arizona- capping off one of the most improbable runs in NFL postseason history to win the franchise’s third Lombardi Trophy.

They did it with an aggressive pass rush which got to normally unflappable New England quarterback Tom Brady, sacking him five times including a forced fumble recovery and also hurrying the 2007 regular season MVP into several poor throws- resulting in 19 incompletions. The two-time Super Bowl MVP finished 29-of-48 for 266 yards and a touchdown.

For so much of the night, Brady had little time in the pocket to step up and throw due to the relentless pressure of Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan and Super Bowl defensive star Justin Tuck (two sacks, forced fumble, four tackles). The terrific trio which flourished so well under first-year defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo combined for three sacks, a forced fumble recovery and 10 tackles. Even when they weren’t on the stat sheet, they supplied a Giant edge up front whipping a Pats’ offensive line which dominated opponents all season en route to winning their first 18 games.

Getting the ball first, the Giant offense set the tone by controlling the ball for a Super Bowl record 9:59 setting up the game’s first points courtesy of a Lawrence Tynes 32-yard field goal. It was on that opening drive that Eli Manning and the offense converted the first four third downs. It was just the beginning of a history-making night.

Amazingly enough, the amount of time they took on that scoring drive resulted in the least amount of possessions (2) in a first quarter of any Super Bowl. Not surprisingly, the Patriots responded by methodically driving down the field needing 12 plays along with an Antonio Pierce pass interference before Laurence Maroney barreled in from a yard out to put them ahead 7-3 on the first play of the second quarter.

It looked like Big Blue would reply with another scoring drive. Thanks to a botched kickoff out of bounds, they got the ball at their own 40 and once again converted a third-and-long thanks to a brilliant Amani Toomer 38-yard reception keeping both feet in bounds after getting away with a push off. However, three plays later, a Manning pass went off rookie wideout Steve Smith’s hands right to New England corner Ellis Hobbs for an easy interception returning it to the Pats’ 33. It was the first turnover by Manning and the Giant offense during the postseason.

Instead of letting the miscue demoralize them, the D stepped up forcing a critical three-and-out to get the ball back- stuffing Maroney on second and third down after an eight-yard pickup on first down. If it felt like a victory, then what happened next must’ve felt like two. When rookie back Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled a clean Eli handoff at their own 30, it looked like they were doomed as a Pat seemed to have recovered it. Somehow, Bradshaw jumped on top of the Pat and essentially stole the ball saving the possession and a heck of a lot of momentum.

Editor’s note: I’m not going to lie but the SB party I went to at my buddy Matt’s in South River all erupted in laughter at how Bradshaw basically robbed that poor Pat of an easy fumble recovery. To be perfectly honest, it should’ve been Pats’ ball. I guess you can’t challenge that because the grumpy Bill Belichick in an uncharacteristic red hoodie never did. Bradshaw won a wrestling match. ;-)

The Giants went three-and-out but once again a determined defense silenced the vaunted Pats’ offense by sacking Brady twice including one by key middle linebacker Kawika Mitchell which could easily have been called an unsportsmanlike conduct for a hand to the New England QB’s helmet. The stripes missed calls on both sides. I’m just not going to be biased about that particular play because it usually is called.

The game got even crazier. A solid drive which started from their own 43 thanks to the combination of Bradshaw (19 total yds, first down) and Brandon Jacobs (13 rushing yds, first down) had Big Blue at the Pats’ 25 with third-and-four. With Manning flushed out, New England linebacker Adalius Thomas came unblocked from the far side sacking the Giant QB and forcing a fumble. Once again, it looked like the Pats would recover but at the last possible moment a spawling Bradshaw pushed the ball forward to Smith who appeared to have the first down yardage. Problem was it was an illegal push by Bradshaw resulting in a 10-yard penalty. The alternative could’ve been a lot worse.

Following a Jeff Feagles punt which put the Pats deep in their own territory at the 11, Brady found a rhythm finding three different receivers including the relatively quiet Randy Moss for first downs moving the ball all the way to the Giant 44 with little time to spare. With the Pats also getting it first in the second half, a score here could’ve been damaging to New York’s upset chances. Instead, Tuck came free forcing a Brady fumble which Umenyiora dove on top of and made sure no Pat stole it.

They only trailed 7-3 at the half despite the Pats having opportunities to make plays. That trend continued in the third quarter. New England orchestrated a long drive which chewed up 8:17. Super Bowl leading receiver Wes Welker (SB tying 11 catches) and third down back Kevin Faulk (seven receptions) had them in position to tack onto their four-point lead all the way to the Giant 25. A huge third down sack by 36 year-old defensive anchor Strahan forced the game’s first gigantic decision.

With the ball at the NY 31, Belichick elected to pass on a 48 year-old field goal opting to go for it on fourth-and-13. The Pats had played this way all season. So I wasn’t too surprised by the decision. It sure has already been second guessed and will continue to especially up in Massachusetts. A Brady incompletion out of bounds which never stood a chance gave the Giants a big fourth down hold. You really have to wonder about that call, especially when you consider what transpired.

I’ll definitely admit that the offense’s inability to finish off drives during the first three quarters was frustrating. They again picked up a couple of first downs to get inside New England territory only to see a stubborn Pat D hold. You kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and for Brady and an NFL record setting offense to put some distance between themselves and our Giants. Thankfully, it never happened.

Despite Welker taking advantage of the middle of the field for all sorts of first down yardage, the Pats’ offense which had gotten scores whenever they needed it all year couldn’t break this Giant D.

After another hold, the offense finally broke the TD drought thanks to a gigantic 45-yard first down reception from rookie tight end Kevin Boss at the beginning of the final quarter. Three Bradshaw runs sandwiched around a Smith 17-yard catch down the middle for a first down setup Manning to another unlikely hero. Special teams player/receiver David Tyree hauled in Eli’s first Super Bowl TD pass from five yards out.

The whole place erupted when they went ahead. Ironically, that same combo would prove large down the wire. By now, I started to sense that something special was unfolding and got deja vu Super Bowl XXV flashbacks in a classic Giant win over another heavy favorite Buffalo.

Editor’s Note: Whoever predicted a Pats’ blowout had to realize by now that that wasn’t happening and this game was indeed going to come down to the final frantic minutes. I never really got why anyone thought our Giants would get blown out. They had played so well since losing to those same Pats by a field goal and had the kind of balanced attack and aggressive physical D which could pose problems. That’s why I felt fairly confident that they’d be right there. And when that happens, I don’t care who you are. You can be 18-0 like those Pats were. You’re going to feel the pressure and that’s when anything can happen. It did.

Believe it or not, the Giant D again stopped the Pats and gave the offense the ball again. It could’ve been much easier had a scrambling Eli managed to not just miss a wide open Plaxico Burress for an easy first down and a whole lot more. If you remember, it was the NFC Championship game hero who made all the headlines this past week with his “23-17” prediction. Maybe he knew something nobody else did.

Instead, they went three-and-out giving Brady and Co. another chance with under eight minutes to go. You just can’t keep doing that. Even with the New England QB looking mortal, he’s going to find a way to make plays.

Brady found his touch hitting open Pats down the middle of the field for first downs, going 8-of-11 for five first downs finishing off a 5:12 drive with a six-yard TD pass to an open Moss after Corey Webster fell down. It was maybe the only time the third-year corner out of LSU made a mistake.

What was done was done. Brady and the Belichick Pats were 2:42 away from a 19-0 perfect season leading 14-10. Could Eli lead the Giants when it mattered most? There was little doubt in my gut that he could. Say what you want about the fourth-year signal caller from Ole Miss. When it comes to being in the two-minute drill, Peyton Manning’s little brother excels. What he did on this drive will go down in Super Bowl history.

It began with an 11-yard hookup to Toomer at the Giant 28. Then it got tough as an attacking veteran Pats’ D forced two consecutive incompletions. Third-and-10 from his own 28 with 1:59 remaining. Manning then connects again with Toomer, who makes a great catch on a low throw and narrowly misses the marker setting up fourth and inches.

Here it was. One play to either go on or go home becoming just another Patriot victim. Jacobs leaned forward just enough to pick it up making everyone in the place nervous. If you didn’t feel the tension by now, then you’re not a sports fan.

Following a Manning five-yard keeper and an incompletion came the play everyone will remember for a very long time. If you’re a Giant fan, you’ll NEVER forget it for the rest of your lives.

Flushed out by a strong Pats’ rush, Eli appeared to be sacked yet somehow, he managed to slip out at the last split second and buy time running to his right. Then he threw a strong spiral which was a little high destined for Tyree. The second part was even more stunning/amazing. 

Tyree then leaped as high as he could go with New England safety Rodney Harrison draped on him looking for a clinching pick. If only Asante Samuel had converted his chance on the previous play, they wouldn’t be talking about Eli to Tyree up in Boston today. Instead, there was unlikely hero Tyree grabbing the ball near the back of his helmet and hanging on for dear life as he fell to the ground for a shocking 32-yard reception to put the ball on the Patriot 24 with 59 ticks left.

“There’s something about this team,” the Super Bowl winning MVP quarterback later told the Associated Press along with big brother Peyton, brother Cooper and proud Dad Archie and Mom Olivia all supporting the better QB on this special night. Yep. Elisha Nelson Manning once again was more poised than a more accomplished QB on the grandest stage, completing 19-of-34 for 255 yards with two clutch TDs in the final 15 minutes.

“The way we win games, and performed in the playoffs in the stretch. We had total confidence in ourselves. The players believed in each other.“

By now, all the Big Blue supporters in Tempe were cheering loudly the same way they had that memorable day in Tampa. You knew that they would score once Eli to Tyree happened. A combination so unlikely that it dwarfs the Dumb and Dumber Clown Management 101 duo of Jim Dolan and Isiah Thomas. 

The drive wasn’t over yet as Eli then wisely held onto the balll taking a Thomas sack on first down before misfiring high for Burress to setup another one of those third-and-long sitations. He had been converting them all night and calmly did so by finding an open Smith near the right sideline directly at the marker as the USC product got out of bounds at the New England 13.

First down. 45 seconds left. One more big play to make. All night, Burress had been silenced to the tune of one catch for 14 yards. None of that mattered now. He hadn’t practiced the past couple of weeks due to a bad knee. First, it was the ankle. Now the knee. It didn’t seem to matter as the former Steeler who shed his loser label this season gaining the respect of players, coaches and fans alike.

One play to alter history and make a bunch of 1972 Miami Dolphins very happy. Eli called No.17 and with single coverage against Hobbs, never hesitated throwing a perfect 13-yard fade to Plax for the go-ahead score.

“It’s the greatest feeling in professional sports,” a teary Burress admitted without the fake bs of Terrell “T-Ho” Owens a few weeks prior.

“That’s a position you want to be in,” Manning noted after becoming the second straight Manning to take home the MVP along with the Lombardi Trophy. “You can’t write a better script. There were so many big plays on that drive.”

Giants 17  Patriots 14

35 seconds remaining

Could Belichick and Brady come up with one more miracle? They still had all three timeouts. But by now, his best pupil was not razor sharp. Banged around all night by a relentless Giant D which somehow limited the greatest offense we’ve ever seen to two touchdowns (three fewer pts than Burress’ prediction), Brady was missing his targets.

When rookie defensive tackle Jay Alford of one sack all season came free and got Brady for a 10-yard loss on second down putting the ball all the way back at their own 16.

3rd-and-20. 19 seconds left. Brady incomplete.

4th-and-20. One more play for a D which stood up to every opponent which were supposed to easily defeat them. Brady back to throw looking for Moss. Incomplete.

Pandemonium at Matt’s in South River. A great place which has hosted Super Bowl parties for years. I recalled the one seven years ago when our team didn’t fare as well against a great Ravens’ D. This was vindication. It was jubilation and a night we won’t soon forget. I’d like to personally thank Mr. Mokarry AKA Mr. Mo along with his wife for not only hosting it but getting some awesome good as well.

They had done the impossible!!!!!

“They played well,” a humbled Belichick admitted. “They made some plays. We made some plays. They just made a few more. We played as hard as we could. We just couldn’t make enough plays.”  

“We played them five weeks ago and it was a three-point game,” a philosophical Brady said. “And they made enough changes and really eliminated what we did offensively.”

“Every team is beatable, you never know,” a very deserving victorious Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “The right moment, the right time, every team is beatable.”

Editor’s Note: Just watching the emotional coach’s classic reactions while on the sideline during that frantic final scoring drive was great. He came on the field twice to call timeouts. Everyone cracked up.

How could you not feel good for the guy who adjusted and opened up the communication lines making it easier for this T-E-A-M to come together. The players clearly bought into what Coughlin wanted and ultimately, delivered co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch the franchise’s third Lombardi Trophy.

“It’s the way we went about our work,” an extremely elated Coughlin added of his team’s remarkable 11 straight road wins- an NFL record to finish 11-1 in the process with their only loss way back in Week One to Dallas. That was a time when they gave up a franchise worst 80 points in the first two games and were trailing the Skins by 17 at halftime in Week Three before they turned their season around with a goalline stand as part of that big win and eventually would become only the third team in NFL history to start a season 0-2 and win the Super Bowl.

Coughlin then summed it up best about his collective unit of ultimate road warriors:

“The road signified the coming together of a team. We rode that emotion all the way through.“

It’s what we’ll remember most. That this team like I texted to my Dad just wouldn’t die.

Super Giants indeed.

It’s finally official.

Johan Santana is now a New York Met. The former Twins’ lefty ace who won two AL Cy Youngs finally reached agreement with the Mets on a six-year contract extension last night worth a reported $137.5 million.

With the Friday 5 PM deadline coming and going, Met GM Omar Minaya and Santana were given a two-hour extension so they could iron out the details after being a reported $20 million apart by SI/WFAN’s Jon Heyman.

Now that the 28 year-old southpaw is officially an Amazin, it immediately bolsters their staff which also includes Pedro Martinez, John Maine and Oliver Perez. That top four is arguably the deepest in the senior circuit and should make them favorites to win the NL East a year after an awful September collapse in which they blew a seven-game lead in the final two weeks, handing the division over to NL MVP Jimmy Rollins and the Phillies.

With a lineup which features young stars David Wright and Jose Reyes along with Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and the ageless Moises Alou, the Mets should be extremely tough to beat in 2008.

They’ll hope that kind of improved rotation will be enough to offset a questionable bullpen which folded down the stretch in 2007. Aaron Heilman, Pedro Feliciano and vet closer Billy Wagner still must be counted on to deliver when their starters don’t go deep into games. They’ll also get back Duaner Sanchez who was a big part of that pen in 2006 when they won the division and came within a game of the World Series.

Santana’s acquisition certainly makes them the favorites on paper to win the NL. One of the Mets’ closest rivals took notice.

“He’s good but he’s not unbeatable. He got hit around last year,” Atlanta starter Tim Hudson pointed out to the AP in reference to Santana’s rough second half last year. “We’ve just got to be concerned about ourselves. We can’t be consumed by what anyone else does.”

“I just know he’s 29 years old and he’s got two Cy Young Awards. I know he’s elite,” Braves’ catcher Brian McCann added. “We’ve got guys who are elite, too. You’re going to have to go out and play it out. It’s going to be fun.”

If anything it makes the NL East the division to follow again. You know the Mets should get stiff competition from the Braves and Phils making those series more fun to watch.

If you’re a baseball fan who enjoys rivalries and great ball, April can’t get here soon enough. Especially if you’re a Met fan who would like to erase last year’s dreadful finish from their memory banks.

For Minaya and the Mets, this was a move he had to make. He can thank Santana for basically calling the shots with Minnesota GM Bill Smith as told to me by NY Sportscene’s own Joe McDonald.

Santana wanted something to get done and Smith finally agreed to accept Minaya’s offer of pitching prospects Philip Humber & Kevin Mulvey along with OF prospect Carlos Gomez plus minor league pitcher Deolis Guerra. 

We’ll have much more on this deal and the baseball offseason with Gotham Baseball’s Mark Healey.

Stay tuned.

Apparently, Mets GM Omar Minaya read our Random Thoughts from last night. How else can one explain the coincidence of finally reaching a tenative agreement with the Twins to acquire lefty ace Johan Santana for a package of four prospects?

The news came down earlier this afternoon when the Twins finally agreed to Minaya’s package which includes pitching prospects Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey along with outfield prospect Carlos Gomez plus minor leaguer Deolis Guerra. They emerged as the frontrunners for Santana due to the Yankees and Red Sox balking at Minnesota GM John Smith’s outrageous demands.

“If it’s true, obviously, you’re getting arguably the best pitcher in the game,” an excited Mets third baseman David Wright said to reporters.  

For the Amazin’s, it’s a no-brainer since they desperately needed a young hurler to anchor a rotation which includes Pedro Martinez along with John Maine, Oliver Perez, veteran Orlando Hernandez and Mike Pelfrey.

If the Mets and Santana can work out an extension, the 28 year-old two-time AL Cy Young winner automatically becomes their best pitcher- bolstering an inconsistent staff which fizzled down the stretch during a historic collapse. With a healthier Pedro returning in the final year of his contract plus Maine and Perez, the Mets’ top four in the rotation looks very formidable.

In 2007, Santana went 15-13 with a 3.33 ERA, permitting 183 hits in 219 innings while walking 52 and fanning 235 which ranked second in the AL to ironically former Met farmhand Scott Kazmir who finished with 239 for Tampa Bay. His signature performance came in an Aug.19 1-0 win over Texas where he struckout 17 Rangers in eight frames before departing to a standing ovation. The 17 K’s were a new Twins’ franchise record.

During the Venezuelan’s eight-year major league career, he’s struckout 10-or-more batters 37 times. He’s a three-time All-Star who also snagged his first Gold Glove last year. Santana’s career record is 93-44 with a 3.22 ERA along with six complete games and four shutouts.

He’ll bring that impressive resume to Queens starting this Spring unless something goes wrong with an extension or physical.

One alarming aspect from last year was that Santana had a poor second half dropping seven of his last 11 decisions where his ERA skyrocketed from 2.60 to 3.33- his highest ERA since 2001. He also yielded an AL high 33 home runs.

However, the southpaw will be going to the senior circuit and won’t have to contend with loaded lineups which include the DH. That should help along with plenty of support from the Latino contingent in New York.

“For our younger pitchers to develop under a guy like Pedro, a guy like Johan, you can’t ask for any better situation,” Wright added.

“He’s going to go out there and he’s going to give you seven or eight innings every five days and he’s going to get you a win. That’s just what it comes down to. I’ve gotten a chance to get to know him a little bit the past couple years. He seems like a great clubhouse guy. He’s going to fit in perfectly with the chemistry that we have.“

You can’t help but wonder what the heck Smith was thinking about here. Did he really think he could get the Yanks and Sahhhxxx back into the bidding? On paper, he did receive a nice return landing the Mets’ second, third, fourth and seventh rated prospects according to Baseball America.

However, that didn’t include top outfield stud Fernando Martinez. Would he have been better suited waiting it out till mid-July to see where his team was in the standings? Let the debate begin.

You can’t tell me that the Mets’ package was better than either the Yanks or Sox who both boast better rated farm systems.

Still, getting two of New York’s highly touted SP’s along with Gomez isn’t a bad return. We’ll just have to wait and see how they develop.

The thinking here is that Santana’s got at least three more peak years left. So the Mets must take advantage and bring a third world championship back to Queens.

Now, we’ll just have to wait and see if the rumored Erik Bedard deal to Seattle for top outfield prospect Adam Jones, lefty reliever George Sherrill plus possibly two other prospects comes to fruition.

As a fellow St. John’s alum who majored in Sports Management, it pains me to see how bad a shape the basketball program continues to be in these days. Remember the days when you could scream emphatically, “We Are St. John’s!!!!!!”

It’s been a while since we could take tremendous pride in our Redmen. I refuse to use Red Storm because it’s not who they are in my book. How pathetic is it that there are so many supersensitive people who waste their team making a ridiculous deal out of team names. As if it’s some sort of bias associated with a nickname. This is freaking sports people! Not politics!!!!! When are these losers going to move on with their lives instead of bitching about stuff that really isn’t their business?

There. It had to be said.

Now onto the Redmen’s latest Big East defeat falling by 10 at Louisville. It’s too bad that Anthony Mason, Jr. plays on such a bad team because the son of the former Knick we called Mase has been utterly brilliant lately. His latest big performance today included seven three-pointers and a game-high 29 on 10-of-21 from the floor in St. John’s 67-57 road defeat at Louisville.

The 29 matched a career best established this past week in a blowout home loss to 13th ranked Pittsburgh. Problem was the rest of his teammates shot an inept 7-of-32 from the field for an ugly 21.9 percent.

That just won’t get it done against any halfway decent team. Especially in the Big East. So, can it get any worse for Norm Roberts’ club which deproved to 1-6 in conference play and 7-11 overall? Are you kidding?!?!?!?!?! They next get perennial rival Georgetown at the Garden on Wednesday. That could be ugly.

This team just doesn’t have much offensive creativity. It’s basically watch their only legit scoring threat while standing around. Is there any coaching being done? Granted. They usually play hard as evidenced by the spirit the five on the floor minus former Lincoln star Eugene Lawrence had in the final seconds playing to the buzzer.

I don’t want to hear about Lawrence moving into third all-time on the school’s assist list. While he can be effective at times, he just isn’t consistent enough running this offense. So much of how you play depends on your point guard. They’re expected to be the floor leader. There are too many instances where they’re jacking up shots early in the shot clock instead of moving the ball crisply. That reflects poorly on Lawrence who hasn’t distributed the ball nearly enough as the Brooklyn native did last year averaging a career best 5.6 assists.

Want to know the difference in this game aside from former St. Patrick’s star Derrick Caracter predictably torching the smaller Johnies inside for a team-high 17 including a couple of three-point plays during a 16-1 spurt which broke open a close second half? Points off turnovers. The Cards held roughly a 20-point edge in that category because the Redmen didn’t take care of the basketball and allowed too many transition buckets during that critical stretch where they went ice cold from the floor after slicing a Cardinal 15-point deficit to seven.

Like many games this season, Roberts’ team got close but then were answered by superior offensive play from their opponent. By the time they got back on track thanks to a great individual effort from Mason who scored inside and outside, it was too late as they trailed 56-35 with 8:30 left.

I think what’s most disappointing is how Rick Pitino’s Cards started the run which salted away the game improving them to 5-2 in the Big East and 15-5 overall. By setting up a couple of wide open trifectas including a big momentum-killing one from long range specialist Juan Palacios. You had to know they would do that.

Even with Mason draining a career high seven from downtown, it was still the Cards who made one more from long range hitting on 9-of-22 while St. John’s finished 8-of-22. Btw…Mason was 7-of-11 while the rest of his teammates were a putrid 1-for-11 with just sophomore Larry Wright (1-for-7 FG, all three’s) getting his only basket from behind the arc in garbage time.

Not surprisingly, Mason, Jr. was the only St. John’s player in double figures while the Cardinals had more of a balanced attack with three players getting at least 10-or-more including 15 and five boards from Jerry Smith along with three treys.

A pair of promising freshmen Justin Burrell and D.J. Kennedy had nine and seven respectively for the Redmen.

I will say this about Mason, Jr. This kid has worked extremely hard to comeback from an ankle sprain and really is ballin’. It’s ashame that his team isn’t a little better because he’s not getting enough exposure for how good he really is.

If you watched how he scored his baskets and got teammates involved late, it’s a credit to how hard he plays. He still was giving it a yeoman effort at the defensive end as well.

The small forward deserves more recognition. He’s been in double digits 11 straight games and continues to get better all the time. The good news is he’s got another year remaining. Maybe that can improve his draft stock. But much will depend on his teammates maturity level next Fall.

For now, it’s definitely a struggle for Mason and his teammates. We’ll see what they come up with against one of the best teams in the country Wednesday night.

McAlarney torches Villanova: If you live out on Staten Island AKA Shaolin, there aren’t many HS basketball players who go onto play for big time college programs. That former Moore Catholic star guard Kyle McAlarney is doing so for Notre Dame is just awesome stuff.

The junior guard continues to improve his game. Today, he lit up No.18 Villanova for a game best 30 points and five assists in a solid 90-80 road win for the Fighting Irish.

Now 20, McAlarney was a lethal scorer out here in his Moore days with former coach Rich Postiglione leaving the keys to the gym for his star player to get more practice time in. I saw him play a couple of times fortunately as SI76 covers HS sports like the pros out here. The kid is just deadly from long range. He was nailing NBA three’s during his HS days where during an impressive four-year career he averaged almost 35-a-game along with 4.5 boards and a respectable six assists.

Staten Island’s all-time leading scorer finished with 2,566 points- placing fourth all-time in New York state history. He also won the Jacques Award twice for the best player out here and earned New York Class A Player of the Year in his senior year back in 2005.

Sure. The Staten Island High School League (SIHSL) isn’t quite on the level of the rest of the city but basketball out here has gotten better. PSAL schools such as Curtis and Port Richmond are usually good and catholic programs such as St. Peter’s, Farrell and Moore compete against some of the best schools in the city including Rice, St. Raymond’s and All Hallows.

You can’t take away from how good this kid is. If you can play, they’ll find you as evidenced with Mike Brey’s Irish. His sophomore season was well documented for the wrong reasons as he got suspended for marijuana possession last year.

It looked like he wouldn’t be returning to school. McAlarney even appeared on SI76’s Sports Time with host Joe Nugent where the former Moore star was interviewed at the school during his time off.

Not surprisingly, Nugent went to bat for the kid who never got in trouble before. Or at least that’s what we heard. You never really can tell. But he did have a solid reputation and achieved high grades at school. So, who knows?

Sometimes, kids make mistakes. It took a trip by Brey to his home which convinced McAlarney to return for his Junior season at South Bend. This year, he’s averaging a career high 14.6 points along with 3.4 assists on a good Irish team which should be back in the NCAA tournament. At the moment, thanks to five trifectas and an efficient 10-of-15 shooting from the junior, they improved to 4-2 in conference play and 14-4 overall.

So, how much has changed for McAlarney in a year? Well for starters, he’s now in the news for the right reasons drawing plenty of praise instead of harsh criticism.

As Chicago Tribune reporter Brian Hamilton points out in a recent article appropriately entitled, “From castoff to blastoff,” McAlarney has done a lot of growing up this season.

“I’m a very different player on the court, but also just a very different person, I feel,” McAlarney said. “I’m very proud of myself. I hold my head high no matter what. I kind of realized basketball is just a game. You have to enjoy every minute of it because when it gets taken away, and you can’t play in games and compete, it’s pretty tough.

“You just have to enjoy every moment of it. I’ve been doing that this year. And I’m having a blast.”

Lesson learned.

Just call it the Serbian Open. With three Serbs on both sides of the draw making the semis and now two advancing to each final, the 2008 Australian Open has officially been taken over by Serbia. So maybe it wasn’t a big shock that third seeded Novak Djokovic exacted a measure of revenge on the world’s best player Roger Federer with a semifinal upset earlier today in Melbourne- halting the Swiss Maestro’s 10 consecutive grand slam final appearances. 

That the 20 year-old emerging star avenged his 2007 U.S. Open Final loss by eliminating Federer in the same straight sets was a surprise. That’s exactly how it went down at Rod Laver Arena where he fought back from 3-5 down in the opening set to earn a 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (5) huge victory over the 12-time slam champion whose chase of American Pete Sampras’ 14 slams was put on hold.  “There’s some sort of a disappointment. But, you know, from the spirit, the way I fought, the way I tried, it’s all I could give, you know,” the disappointed three-time Australian Open winner lamented to the Associated Press at a postmatch press conference. “When you give a hundred per cent, you know, you’re sort of happy with your performance.”  

“It can’t always go your way. I know that. I’ve won, many, many times when I didn’t expect myself to win. So tonight’s one of those nights where you’re a little bit disappointed. But it’s going to go over and I’m going to look forward to the rest of the year.”  

 

For one thing, it sure makes this tennis year exciting. In terms of giving the men’s game some extra juice, this is exactly what the sport needed. An up and comer like Djokovic who hits the ball extremely hard, backs up a solid serve and is poised to finally breakthrough at a slam.

  “I am just very amazed I coped with the pressure today,” the very pumped up Serbian expressed as he gets ready for the surprise of the tournament, unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga tomorrow.  

 

“In the most important moments, I played my best tennis. It’s just amazing, indescribable, to beat the No. 1 player of the world, one of the best players this sport has ever had, in straight sets.”  

 

The turning point of the match was when he broke Federer at 4-5 in the opening set coming back to take the final four games and capture the set. Amazingly, he would run off nine of the next 10 games building a commanding one set double break 5-1 lead before the 26 year-old from Switzlerland started to play better and forced Djokovic to serve out the second set.  “We all know if I would have served it out the match would have been a bit different,” Federer pointed out. “Sure, he could have come back and still beaten me, but circumstances of would have been different. He wouldn’t have played that freely in the second set.”  

 

“He usually doesn’t play that well. That was unfortunate for me. You know, I paid the price twice, not only losing the set, but also the second set. You know, I missed many opportunities the third set.”  

 

“But, like I said, he came up with some great shots, some great serves, and, you know, saved himself that way.” Djokovic outslugged Federer from the baseline finishing with 50 winners- 12 better than the two-time defending champion. He also was able to draw an uncharacteristic 32 unforced errors from The Federer Express. So while he did commit the same amount of errors, he clearly went for more and did a better job converting his opportunities even outacing the popular champ 13-10. 

“Well, yes, that was one of the positive facts, I think, in tonight’s match, I was able to deal with the pressure in the best possible way,” Djokovic noted after converting four of 11 break chances to his opponent’s two for nine. “And if you do that against the best player in the world, you know, you should get the positive outcome, which resulted of course with the win tonight.”  

 

“I’m very happy that in crucial moments my serve was serving me, and it was probably my best element in the game tonight in the important moments. So it is a positive thing for the future.”  

 

“I think he made the more important points today, it was a bit unfortunate for me,” said Federer. “There is no doubt I have played better before.”

Maybe the fact that he lost in straights for the first time since the 2004 French Open to former champ Gustavo Kuerten was what surprised so many. He has spoiled the tennis world with all of his success that we expect him to win these important matches. Then when someone like Djokovic comes around and beats him soundly, it certainly is eye opening. Federer had a perfect quote which summed up the disappointing loss quite well: 

 

“I’ve created a monster that I need to win every tournament. “Still, the semifinals isn’t bad.”

For now, Djokovic versus Tsonga will have to do for all the marbles tomorrow in the men’s final. Either way, there shall be a first-time slam winner. Something which is very good for the sport and should make the next 11 months interesting.

Federer will be back. It should be a great year.

Sharapova-Ivanovic battle for women’s title tonight: It will be an all Eastern European women’s final later tonight when fifth seeded Russian Maria Sharapova gets ready to take on fourth seeded Serbian Ana Ivanovic on ESPN2 at 9:30 ET/6:30 PT.

Both 20 year-old women have impressively reached the final seeking their first Aussie Open title. Sharapova ousted top seed Justine Henin in straight sets and injurd third seeded Jelena Jankovic also in straights to get here. It will be her second consecutive Australian Open Final as she looks to take that big step trying to avoid another disappointing result like last year’s blowout loss to 2007 winner Serena Williams.

Meanwhile, Ivanovic is seeking her first career slam after eliminating Venus Williams in straight sets and coming back to defeat ninth seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova 0-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach her second slam final. She lost to Henin at last year’s French.

It will be a battle of 20 year-olds as Sharapova aims for her third different slam while Ivanovic goes for No.1.